MTS displacement sensors, as precision measuring equipment, are widely used in fields such as aerospace, civil engineering, and mechanical manufacturing. Their performance stability directly affects the reliability of test data. Scientific maintenance can significantly extend the lifespan of sensors and ensure measurement accuracy. The following outlines the core maintenance points from four aspects: daily maintenance, periodic maintenance, usage standards, and storage management:

1、 Daily maintenance: basic protection and cleaning

1. Dustproof and moisture-proof: The sensor housing should be kept well sealed. If it is in a dusty environment for a long time (such as a construction site), a protective cover should be installed or an IP65 or above protection level model should be selected; The wiring port needs to be sealed with silicone grease to prevent moisture from entering. ​

2. Surface cleaning: Wipe the sensor body with a dry and dust-free cloth daily to avoid oil stains and debris from adhering and affecting the movement of the slide rail; For pull rod sensors, it is necessary to simultaneously clean the impurities on the surface of the piston rod to prevent scratching the coating. ​

3. Cable management: Avoid excessive bending of cables (bending radius ≥ 10 times the wire diameter) to prevent fatigue fracture of internal wires; When moving the device, handle it gently to avoid pulling the cable and causing the connector to loosen. ​

2、 Periodic maintenance: specialized maintenance of key components

1. Lubrication of guide rails and bearings: Apply a small amount of specialized silicon-based grease to the sliding guide rails every quarter (ordinary engine oil is prohibited) to reduce friction and wear; For frequently used sensors (such as fatigue testing machine equipment), it can be shortened to once a month. ​

2. Electric brush contact surface inspection: Resistance sensors need to regularly observe the contact status between the electric brush and the resistance film. If oxidation spots or burn marks are found, they can be gently wiped with deer skin dipped in alcohol. If necessary, replace severely worn electric brush components. ​

3. Zero calibration: Before and after each major test, zero calibration must be performed - preheat for 15 minutes under no-load conditions, reset the zero point through supporting software, and eliminate errors caused by temperature drift. ​

3、 Usage guidelines: Operation taboos and environmental control

Overlimit prohibition: Strictly follow the range limit (such as ± 50mm stroke). Overlimit use may cause internal spring deformation or permanent magnet demagnetization, resulting in damage. ​

Impact protection: During installation, an elastic coupling is used to connect the tested object to avoid direct impact force; During transportation, it shall be fixed with foam liner to prevent violent vibration. ​

Temperature management: The working environment temperature should be controlled within the range of -20 ℃~+70 ℃, and high and low temperature resistant sensors should be selected for the temperature; If there is a large temperature difference in the environment, it is recommended to add insulation layers to slow down heat conduction. ​

Electromagnetic interference avoidance: Keep away from strong electromagnetic sources such as frequency converters and motors. Use shielded twisted pair cables for signal lines and route them separately to avoid parallel installation with power cables. ​

4、 Storage management: long-term idle maintenance

Storage conditions: When not in use for a long time, it should be stored in a dry oven (humidity<40% RH) to avoid salt spray corrosion; The piston rod needs to be coated with anti rust oil and covered with a dust cap. ​

Regular power on: power on once every quarter for more than 30 minutes, using self heating to dissipate moisture; Linearity needs to be recalibrated after one year to prevent material creep from causing changes in characteristics. ​

Archive records: Establish maintenance logs to record each calibration data, replacement parts information, and abnormal situations, in order to trace the cause of faults. ​

5、 Typical fault emergency handling

Unstable output: Check if the grounding is good and eliminate electromagnetic interference; If the fluctuation still exists, it may be due to poor contact of the electric brush, and the electric brush module needs to be cleaned or replaced. ​

Stuck phenomenon: Immediately cut off power and stop using, clean the guide rail with anhydrous ethanol and reapply lubricating grease; If it gets stuck due to foreign objects, it needs to be disassembled and the impurities removed. ​

Severe zero drift: In addition to routine calibration, it is necessary to check whether the elastic components are fatigued and replace the entire measuring unit if necessary. ​

Through a systematic maintenance strategy, MTS displacement sensors can maintain linearity errors below 0.1% FS, ensuring reliable operation in high-precision scenarios such as bridge monitoring and material testing. The key is to integrate maintenance into daily operational processes, rather than remedying afterwards.